Follow these steps to quickly release and/or renew the Internet Protocol (IP) address of a computer running Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows NT.

Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: seconds

Here's How:

1. Click the Start menu button on the Windows taskbar.
2. Click Run... on this menu.
3. If the computer is holding a current IP address, type 'cmd' (without the quotes) in the text box that appears. A command prompt window appears on the screen.
4. Type 'ipconfig' (without the quotes) to view the status of the computer's IP address(es).
5. If the computer is holding a current IP address, type 'ipconfig /release' to let go of the address.
6. Type 'ipconfig /renew' to obtain a new IP address (whether or not the computer is holding a current address).

Tips:

1. If it is not necessary to view the current IP addresses on a computer, simply type 'ipconfig /release' or 'ipconfig /renew' (without the quotes) in the text box that appears in Step 3.
2. To bring a computer back onto the network after moving it to a different location, or experiencing an unexpected outage, first release, then renew the IP address. Computers on DHCP networks often (but not always) re-establish network connectivity automatically.

What You Need:

More How To's from your Guide To Computer Networking